


Nervous Boys and a First Date

by lesbianshadow



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: But No One's Straight, Everyone Is Gay, Except Amy She's Bi, Explicit Language, First Dates, First Dates Are Awkward, Fluff, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11725044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianshadow/pseuds/lesbianshadow
Summary: Shadow finally gathers up his courage and goes on a date with Silver. The problem is he has no idea how to act properly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay like no offense but like. can fujoshis um. not touch this? it makes me uncomfortable thanks i dont want any comments saying "omg yaoiz!" or "yay my otp! *drools*" y'all are creepy and i'm actually gay and hate it. okay bye.

Shadow gripped the brakes so suddenly, he rammed against the handlebars of his motorcycle. He gasped as he came to a stop, glad that there were no cars behind him. He looked behind himself. Good. Silver was still there. He kicked off the ground and drove into the parking lot. He parked the bike and dismounted. Silver stared at him, mouth open. “Oh my gosh, a-are you okay?” he asked. “You stopped really suddenly.”

Shadow brushed dust off his jacket sleeves. “I remembered I had to pick up snacks,” he said. That wasn’t a total lie; he’d promised Rouge he’d bring back some food for tonight.

“I’m getting snacks too,” Silver said. “The convenience store’s right here, i-if you wanna go in together.”

Shadow nodded. This was going easier than he’d planned. Not that he had a plan. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking. He’d been heading home after a long day of work but had to take a detour to get snacks at Rouge’s request. But once he’d seen Silver in the parking lot, something had come over him. He’d always admired Silver, and he’d been wanting to get closer to him. Just the thought of that made his cheeks grow hot, and he looked away as he and Silver entered the convenience store together.

“Ice cream, ice cream,” Silver mumbled quietly, walking over to the freezer section. Shadow grabbed a bag of Doritos and a two-liter Mountain Dew. He put the items on the counter and waited for the cashier to ring them up. “That’s all you’re getting?” Silver asked.

Shadow nodded.

“Oh well I guess that’s fine. I mean I’m only getting ice cream, so…” He looked nervous. Shadow wondered if he was scaring him. He always had that effect on people.

He paid for his food and waited for Silver outside the store. He leaned against the building and checked the time on his GUN communicator. 4:36. Rouge should be expecting him home by five. Well, her knowing him, probably four forty-five. He wasn’t too far from home, but if he delayed too long, Rouge would ask what happened. He should just leave. But…

“Oh! You waited,” Silver said as he left the store.

Shadow shrugged. “I might as well,” he said. He pushed himself off the wall. “But I will need to get back soon.”

“Right… Wait—” Silver reached out his hand and grabbed Shadow’s arm. Shadow froze and looked at Silver, who immediately reddened and let him go. “S-sorry…I just… Before you go, I wanted… Um…I… Would… Would you like to go out on a date with me?” he blurted out.

Shadow took in a breath of surprise. He supposed he should have known Silver’d had feelings for him but…it seemed so surreal actually hearing him say it. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was even good enough for him. So many confusing thoughts raced through his head, and his stomach twisted.

“Oh God, I’m sorry.” Silver covered his face with his hands. “That was embarrassing. It’s fine if you don’t want to.”

Still red in the face from shock, Shadow muttered a barely audible response: “Okay.”

Silver looked up from his hands. “What?” he said.

“Okay, I’ll…go on the date with you.” Shadow’s face had never been hotter.

“Yes!” Silver squealed, jumping up. “Ahh, sorry.” He composed himself. “Uh, okay. Yes. Uh, when do you wanna go?”

“Tonight maybe?” _Shit,_ Shadow thought. Way to sound over-eager.

“Tonight’s good!” Silver replied excitedly. “Great, actually!”

“I’ll meet you at your house at seven then,” Shadow said.

“Okay. Okay, okay. Ahh, okay. I’ll see you then.”

“See you.” Shadow mounted his bike and tied the bag of snacks to the handlebars. He started the engine and zoomed away from Silver. The wind hitting his face felt good; it cooled him down a lot, but it didn’t quell the fuzz in his stomach.

When he reached his house, it was 4:42. He entered and saw Rouge and Omega sitting at the kitchen counter. Or rather, Rouge was sitting on a chair at the counter, Omega was sitting on the floor.

“Finally,” Rouge said when she saw Shadow. “What took you so long?”

“This,” Shadow said, throwing the bag of snacks to her.

She caught it and looked inside. “No, _this_ is not what took you so long,” she said, pulling out the two items. “Fuck you, this isn’t snacks Shadow.”

“You never specified.”

“Would it kill you to eat a fucking apple?”

“Do you want me to do your makeup or not?”

Rouge folded her arms and glared at him. She picked up her makeup bag and threw it to him. “Be fast, okay? Wave’s coming over at six.”

“When am I ever not fast?” he asked. He unzipped the bag and pulled out an eyeshadow palate and brush.

“Shadow still ignored Rouge’s initial question,” Omega said as Shadow got to work.

“Yes, he did,” Rouge agreed. “Shadow? What were you doing?”

He clamped his teeth together. He knew there was no away around it; he was going to have to tell them eventually. “I ran into Silver.”

Rouge grinned wide.

“Don’t do that, you’re gonna make me smear your liner.”

“What happened?” she asked, trying to get herself to stop smiling.

“I saw him at the convenience store.”

“No no no sir, you and I both know something happened. If you don’t tell me, when Wave comes here, she and I are gonna ditch our dinner reservations and go steal the Master Emerald and blame it on you.”

“I’m inclined to assist if the need arises,” Omega added.

“He…” With the memory of what happened, Shadow found it hard to speak as he blushed. He tried to distract him with doing Rouge’s makeup. “He just talked to me.”

“Shadow’s body temperature is 3% higher than average,” Omega said. They reached out and placed their hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “If condition does not improve I will take him to the GUN infirmary. Do you require medical attention?”

“Oh my fucking God,” Rouge said. She stood up off the chair and grabbed Shadow’s other shoulder. She grinned. “You’re blushing.”

“No I’m not,” Shadow said.

“What happened?” she demanded. “Tell me, tell me, tell me. _Please_?” She batted her eyes.

There was no avoiding it. “Silver asked me out on a da—” Before he could finish the sentence, Rouge squealed.

“I _knew_ it. I _knew_ he liked you, _and I knew you liked him_!” she said, poking Shadow in the side.

“I do not.”

“Really? Then you declined?”

His own silence and aversion to eye contact was answer enough.

Rouge squealed again. “I can’t believe this! Omega, our little Shadow’s growing up and dating.”

“Congratulations on the romantic escapade,” Omega said. “When the time comes, I will be sure to educate you on safe and consensual intercourse.”

“Will you both shut up so I can finish Rouge’s makeup and leave?” Shadow asked.

“Fine,” Rouge pouted, sitting back on the chair. “But the second you’re done, we’re helping you get ready for the date.”

“Purse your lips.”

“Pervert.” She did as he said.

He sighed before applying the lipstick to Rouge’s lips. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Rouge smiled a little. “My pleasure.”

“Mine as well,” Omega added.

If he were being honest, he didn’t know if he’d have been able to be brave enough to go on the date without the support of his friends. He didn’t need to tell them that; they probably already knew.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oooh, I look hot,” Rouge said, admiring herself in the mirror after Shadow finished. “Can you do my hair, too?”

“We’re supposed to help Shadow now,” Omega told her.

She whined. “ _Fine_.” She turned to Shadow. “What do you plan on wearing?”

“Um.” Shadow looked down at himself. He never wore clothes, despite owning a closet full of them. “Do I—?”

“ _Yes_ , you need to wear clothes. If you go out the way you are now, it says, ‘Look at me! I’m not making an attempt!’ Is that what you want Silver to think about you?”

Shadow blushed a little. “Well, what do you think I should wear then?”

“Omega!”

With no further words, Omega walked in the direction of Shadow’s room and appeared minutes later with a selection of his clothes.

“They always help me with this part of pre-date prep,” Rouge explained. “What would I do without you two?”

“You do fine without us. I think you just like ordering us around,” said Shadow.

She responded by squeezing his cheek. “Okay, what do you like?”

He looked at the clothes Omega held out. All his clothes looked similar to him; he didn’t have a very extensive fashion taste outside of leather jackets and band T-shirts. But he eventually decided on a combination and held them up for Rouge to judge.

“Good enough,” she said. “You get dressed while Omega helps me with my outfit. And no complaining.” She pointed at him.

He gave her a look and grabbed the bag of Doritos, but was surprised that it was open and felt empty. He upturned it and shook it, causing Sharkbite to tumble out and into his hand, covered in cheese dust. She ate the last chip she held in her hand and looked at him.

“See, she wouldn’t be eating our food if you got some fruit in here,” Rouge said over her shoulder before walking up to her room with Omega.

Sharkbite flew out of Shadow’s hand and headbutted him. He put his hand on her head. “There you are,” he said. “Sorry I haven’t been around much.”

“Chao…,” she muttered, still pressing her head against his palm.

“I need to get ready for a date. Wanna help?”

She let up and flew backwards a little bit, diving back into the chip bag. Shadow let out a low chuckle and pulled the clothes on. It’d been a while since he’d worn clothes, and the texture was different from what he was used to. But it kind of felt nice; at least nice enough not to bother him throughout the night. In an act of instinct, he pulled off his gloves and put them on the counter, but made sure to keep his limiters and air shoes on—those he couldn’t live without.

He tapped the opening of the chip bag to get Sharkbite’s attention. “You should come out. I think there’s still some leftover pizza in the fridge.”

She hesitated before flying out, but grabbed hold of the bag as she flew to the refrigerator, bouncing against it until Shadow opened it for her. He pulled out the pizza box and set it on the counter as Rouge and Omega came back down.

“Ooh, you look sexy,” Rouge said, feeling his leather jacket. “Smart idea taking off the gloves. Always wearing gloves makes it look like you have something to hide.”

“I’d argue that you always wear gloves, but then again you always have something to hide,” he replied.

“Yeah. I always have to hide my fingerprints, honey. Anyway, how do I look?”

She was wearing a pink crop top and a leather miniskirt paired with the tallest heels she probably owned.

“Like you’re in pain,” he replied honestly.

“You’re an idiot.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, it’s not like you’ll be wearing it for more than an hour.”

“I’d be offended if it weren’t true.” She checked the time on her communicator watch. “Still got some time before Wave shows up. Wanna play Overwatch?”

“Only on the condition that I play as Widowmaker,” Omega said.

“We’re walking fucking stereotypes,” Rouge said. “I swear to God, I would pray for one chance for us to play as the exact fucking opposites of ourselves.”

“I’ll play as Mei when Omega plays as Bastion,” Shadow told her.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re all so annoying.”

As Shadow grabbed the controller, Sharkbite floated over and bounced against the console. “Guess Sharkbite’s playing too.”

“Good. Kick their asses baby.”

“Chao chao!” Sharkbite squeaked in agreement.

“Please don’t encourage her,” Shadow said.

“Not like you’re doing any better. Just shut up and play before Wave shows up.”

He did, and Omega and Sharkbite followed suit as they played together. Shadow and Omega each won two rounds and Rouge and Sharkbite each won one before the doorbell signaled Wave’s arrival.

Rouge squealed, jumping up off the ground and running to the door. “Baby!” she screamed, jumping into her girlfriend’s arms.

“Hey babe!” Wave said, laughing. She kissed Rouge before setting her down. She wore a white short-sleeved button-up shirt, jeans, and a snapback. She wrapped her arm around Rouge’s waist. “Don’t worry, she’ll be back tomorrow,” she told Shadow and Omega. “Most likely.”

Rouge laughed. “Bye!” she sang, closing the door.

Shadow nodded.

"Perform safe and consensual intercourse,” Omega told them as the door shut.

 Shadow looked up at them. “Have you been using the Internet again?”

 “There is so much information to be gleaned.”

 He patted them gently. “Good on you. Let’s play more before I gotta go get Silver.”

 “Before we do,” they said, taking Shadow by the shoulder to stop him. “I have queries for you.”

 He crossed his arms. “Alright.” He gestured for them to begin.

 “You may want to sit down. There is a good chance this will take several tens of minutes.”

 Shadow considered it for a moment before sitting down in the chair across from Omega. “Okay. What is it?”


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow lay on the floor, playing Overwatch with Omega while Sharkbite spun around the room. His communicator watch beeped. “Shit,” he said, pausing the game. “I gotta get Silver.”

“Unacceptable,” Omega argued. “You have won two games, and so have I. This was the game to break the tie.”

Shadow pulled on his jacket and shrugged at them. “We’ll finish when I get back.”

“I will remain in stand-by mode until then.” They powered down, and Sharkbite poked at their face curiously.

Shadow considered this for a moment before realizing it was fruitless to argue with them. “Watch over them,” he told Sharkbite. “Don’t burn the house down.”

“Chao chao!” she called out as he shut the front door. He got on his motorcycle and kickstarted it, zooming out of the driveway and down the road. If he remembered correctly, Silver didn’t live too far away from him, and he should be able to get him quickly.

He pulled up in front of Silver’s house and dismounted his bike. He walked up to the front door and knocked. Silver answered almost immediately: “Hi!”

He was wearing a baggy light blue sweater, a white skirt, and navy blue thigh highs. Shadow blushed, but tried to cover it up by saying, “Are you ready?”

Silver turned red. “Uh, yeah.” He shut the door. “W-where were you thinking of going?”

Shadow froze. He hadn’t thought that far. Not wanting to lose his cool, he decided on the best place he knew. “McDonald’s?”

Silver looked shocked. And…was that? Oh God. Disappointed. He looked disappointed. Shadow was mentally choking himself for being so stupid. “That sounds good,” Silver finally said. Shadow gave a weak attempt at a smile and gestured for the two of them to get going.

The two of them walked down to Shadow’s bike. Shadow mounted and waited for Silver to get on. He looked at him expectantly.

“I-I— You want me to ride on the bike with you?” he stammered out.

Shadow nodded. “It’s safe, just hold onto me tight,” he told him. “I don’t have a helmet.”

Silver’s face looked redder than Shadow had ever seen it before. “O-o-okay!” He got onto the bike and wrapped his arms around Shadow’s stomach tightly. He thought he could feel… Never mind. He found himself blushing at Silver’s touch, and started the bike quickly to try to forget about it.

But Silver felt soft and comforting. He gripped into Shadow’s abdomen on sharp turns, and despite that being slightly uncomfortable, it was also nice to know how much he trusted and believed in him. Goddammit, it was just a damn motorcycle ride; it didn’t mean anything.

He pulled up to the McDonald’s and tapped Silver’s arm to have him let go. Silver seemed hesitant to release him, but eventually did, and the two dismounted. Shadow followed Silver up to the restaurant and opened the door for him. “Oh!” Silver said when he saw this. “Thanks!” He walked quickly through the door, and Shadow found himself glancing at his hand. He wasn’t wearing gloves either. His hand looked soft. He tried to get rid of this thought by diverting his gaze to Silver’s legs. That didn’t help. He sucked in a breath and followed Silver in.


	4. Chapter 4

_“My first question,” Omega began, “is to when you began to develop feelings for Silver.”_

_Shadow pursed his lips and cocked his head a little. “Okay.” He let out a soft chuckle, not expecting such a question that even he wasn’t quite sure he had an answer to. “I guess…since I first met him.”_

_That answer wasn’t enough._

_“He was passionate, and strong, and brave. He reminded me of Maria. He intrigued me; all he cared about was saving the world. I was attracted to that. That’s all there is.”_

There was a long line in the McDonald’s tonight. Shadow didn’t mind at first, and it didn’t seem Silver did either. Until the two people in front of them saw that they were there.

“Well, well, well,” Sonic said, crossing his arms. “Knux, look, it’s Shadow and Silver. Think they followed us here?”

Knuckles only glared at Shadow.

Silver tried to break the awkwardness: “What are you guys doing here?”

“ _Daaaaate_ ,” Sonic sang, grabbing hold of Knuckles’ hand. “You two, too?”

Shadow felt his cheeks go red, and it was likely Silver’s were, too. “Yes,” he said quietly.

“About time.”

He folded his arms. What did that mean? Did others know that Shadow had liked Silver? “I don’t recall asking your opinion, Blue Hedgehog.” He glanced at Knuckles. “What’s with him?” Knuckles _never_ passed up an opportunity to trash Shadow. But now he was quiet.

“Oh.” Sonic laughed. “He’s just pissed because he got fucking nerfed in Overwatch ten minutes before coming here.”

"Yeah, thanks to _him_!” Knuckles burst out, pointing at Shadow. “I’m not fucking stupid, Shadow, I know your screenname is ‘UltimateKnight’, you fucking dickhead.”

Shadow couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, sorry, ‘GemGuardian’.”

Knuckles visibly fumed and grabbed Sonic’s arm. “Let’s get out of here, babe.”

“Aw, I’m having fun,” Sonic protested as Knuckles pulled him away.

“Nice seeing you…,” Silver called out weakly, giving a small wave. He blushed. “Small world,” he muttered, looking at Shadow.

“Too small,” Shadow said, shaking his head. He shrugged. “We’re almost up. Do you know what you want?”

“Uh, I…” Silver stared at the menu, his hands moving and flicking nervously. Shadow wondered if he shouldn’t have picked a fight with Sonic and Knuckles. Bits of teal-colored light popped off his fingertips. There was something interesting to the glowing marking radiating off Silver’s skin. Before, Shadow had assumed that the teal-colored circles on his gloves were mere decoration; now he knew that they were a part of Silver’s palms. His powers must radiate there. And he thought of his own chaos energy. They were both hedgehog-shaped bundles of pure power, bound to safety by golden bands on their wrists.

“I haven’t been here before,” Silver admitted finally. Shadow looked up at him, hoping he hadn’t noticed how intently he’d been watching his hands. “I don’t know what to get,” he added.

It was too late now; it was their turn. “No problem,” Shadow told him, and stepped up to the counter. “Two double quarter pounders, three 10-piece chicken McNuggets, a Big Mac, a large vanilla shake, a large chocolate shake, three large fries, five of each of the dipping sauces, and a fish filet. And two large sodas,” he added.

The cashier stared at him blankly. “Uh… Those machines broke.”

Shadow only glared at him.

“I’m kidding. Okay. Um.” He clicked on his cash register quickly, asking Shadow for clarification on the order every few seconds. “Okay. Okay. Um. That’ll be $50.46.”

Shadow heard Silver choke behind him. He rolled out three twenties and gave the money to the boy, walking away after grabbing the receipt and the cups. He made sure the boy kept the change.

Silver trailed behind him as he filled his paper cup with Coke. He seemed a little hesitant, like he didn’t know how the machines worked. And if Shadow was honest, he couldn’t blame him. They were both from different times. He could remember having to adjust to all the new technology—hell, even stuff that had been around since before his creation, but he didn’t know about, being in space and all—so he was patient when he explained to Silver how it worked.

“Oh. Gosh, um. Which one should I get?” Silver was a blushing mess tonight. It made Shadow blush too. Trying to keep himself from stuttering, he shut his mouth and pointed at the Sprite; it was simple and plain enough.

The two of them sat down. Shadow knew their— _his_ —massive order would take a while. He didn’t know how to break the ice.

“That was a lot of food,” Silver mentioned. He looked down after saying this.

Shadow shrugged. “I eat a lot. You can try everything this way.”

Silver nodded. “I guess…I didn’t think you’d need to eat.”

"I technically don’t. My alien and hedgehog blood makes me crave different foods, but the Chaos Energy keeps me sustained and healthy despite that.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I’m not used to eating—not a lot of food where I come from.”

That one fact hit Shadow’s heart with a pang of sadness. Despite apparently not eating much, Silver still had some softness to his stomach and legs. He remembered something he’d learned a long time ago—if someone was deprived of food, their body would store any extra calories they ate as fat, just in case. That must have been Silver now.

Their number was called, and as Shadow went to grab their food, a teal-colored glow surrounded it, suspending the trays. He turned around and saw Silver, hand raised and glowing along with the food. Silver gave a shy smile, gesturing for the food to come to the two of them. The trays fell at their table, and Shadow gave an impressed smile. “Not bad,” he said.

Silver’s ears turned red. “It’s no big deal…” He stared at the food. “Oh gosh. Where should I start?”

Shadow picked up a sandwich. “Fries.” He pointed to one of the red carton. “Try the barbecue sauce too.”

Silver nodded, picking up one of the fries and dipping it into the sauce. He took a bite, and his eyes immediately lit up. “Oh my God,” he muttered, his mouth still a little full. He took a handful of the fries and ate them immediately, licking up some of the barbecue sauce from small cup. “This is so good,” he said between bites. He didn’t seem to be aware of how much of a mess he was making. It was so fucking adorable. Not that Shadow was thinking about how adorable Silver was.

He licked his fingers. “What next?” he asked when the first carton of fries was gone.

Shadow put out his hands after finishing his burger. “Anything you want.” He started at the chicken this time, watching silently as Silver tried a Big Mac.

"This is all so good,” Silver kept saying. “I mean, I’ve never had anything like this. How do you live with food like this so easily available?”

Shadow smirked. “Try this.” He took a fry from the last remaining carton and took the lid off his vanilla shake. He dipped the fry into the shake and ate it. “You’ll love it.”

Silver nodded and tried it himself, smiling widely. “You were right.” He took the cup from Shadow and began to drink it down, alternating between that and fries, dipping occasionally. Shadow couldn’t help but laugh softly at this eagerness. Silver suddenly froze, probably just now becoming self-conscious to the way he was behaving. He swallowed and put the food down. “S-sorry,” he mumbled, looking down. He put his hands in his lap.

“Don’t be,” Shadow told him, still smiling. “It’s endearing.”

Silver’s face turned bright red. “Thanks.” He looked up at Shadow a little bit. “Did you eat?”

He nodded. “Plenty. You were too preoccupied to notice.”

“Oh. R-right.” He looked at the table. “We made a mess.”

“We’ll clean it before we leave.”

Silver looked sad. Did Shadow say something wrong? He got an inexplicable urge to caress him or make him feel better.

“Well, we’re leaving.”

Shadow turned around to see Sonic and Knuckles standing behind him. “Have a good date faker. Weed faker,” he added, looking at Silver. Silver nodded, still sheepish.

“I’ll kick your ass tomorrow Shadow,” Knuckles told him.

“Play as someone other than McCree, then we’ll talk,” Shadow retorted. Knuckles flipped him off before taking Sonic’s hand and leaving the restaurant.

Shadow looked back at Silver. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

Silver shook his head, still not making eye contact with Shadow.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Yes there is.”

Silver wouldn’t look at him.

He let out a sigh. “Alright.” He cleared off the table, being sure to clean their mess while Silver stayed sitting. He came back. Silver was looking up at him a little. Shadow shut his eyes. “You can tell me.”

Silver looked at him. “I…I didn’t want the date to be over already.”

“Who said it was over?”

Silver’s ears perked up. “What?”

Shadow helped Silver out of his chair. “We’ve been here twenty minutes. It’s not over. Let’s go somewhere.” He started out the door and straddled his motorcycle.

“Wait!” Silver called out. He watched Shadow on the bike. “W-where are we going?”

Shadow looked at him, the sun slowly setting behind him, turning his fur a pale orangish color. He looked nervous. This made Shadow smile. “Get on,” was all he said.

And Silver did.


	5. Chapter 5

_“My fifteenth question is what you plan to gain from a romantic relationship with Silver.”_

_Shadow had an enormous capacity for patience, which served him well in times like these. He wasn’t sure how to answer this question. He glanced down. And then he had his answer. He didn’t want to say it out loud. He felt his face turn hot._

_“Increased blood pressure and body temperature detected,” Omega noted. This didn’t help Shadow’s case._

_“Can we revisit this question?”_

_“Negative.”_

_“Fuck.” There were twenty more minutes left until he had to get Silver. It was likely the two of them were going to be silent for eighteen of those minutes._

Silver didn’t seem as nervous riding on the back of Shadow’s motorcycle this time. He was probably used to it. He wasn’t sure where he was going to take him; just somewhere fun. Silver deserved fun.

There was an arcade in town. He liked video games and sometimes went to it after it closed. Maybe it’d be fun with someone else. He hoped Silver would like it.

When the two of them got there, Silver’s face lit up. “I recognize this place!” he said. He jumped off Shadow’s bike and ran up to it. “I think I’ve seen this. In the future, I mean.” He pressed his face against the glass. “Everything looks so old…”

Shadow couldn’t help but smirk. He walked up behind him and got a strong urge to hug him from behind. He bit his lip and clenched his excited fingers together. “Do you wanna go in?” he asked.

Silver pulled his face back and looked at Shadow, smiling brightly. “Yeah!” He hopped up to Shadow and grabbed his hand. Shadow felt his face get hot and his stomach fuzz. He looked over slightly at Silver. He hoped Silver wouldn’t let go.

Silver pulled the two of them into the place, running and laughing. “I love this!” he said. “It’s so bright and fun!” He gasped suddenly, running to one of the games. “This is a _classic_. Can we play?”

Shadow smiled. “Sure. I’ll get some quarters. Want a slurpee?”

He nodded. “Grape!”

Shadow came back with the two slurpees a few minutes later to hear Silver yelling, “I’m on a date!” His face flushed. He must have been talking to someone. He walked up to him and handed him the slurpee. He then saw that he’d been talking to Blaze and Amy.

“Shadow’s your date?” Blaze asked.

“That’s so great!” Amy said, clapping her hands together.

_Do we have to run into everyone we know tonight?_ Shadow wondered. He took a drink from his own slurpee.

“Amy, why don’t you play a game with Silver?” Blaze suggested.

“Oh, great idea!” She took Silver’s hand. “How are you at racing games?”

“No idea!” Silver laughed.

“You’ll be fine. Come on!” She ran and dragged him to the next game.

Blaze folded her arms and looked at Shadow. “Do not hurt him,” she said.

Shadow folded his arms too. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“I’m _serious_.” She stepped up and jabbed a finger in Shadow’s chest. “Believe me, he has had this crush on you for ages. I’m not going to let him get hurt. He’s my best friend. ’Kay?”

Shadow took her hand and removed it from his body. “I suppose I could say the same to you.”

She looked at him incredulously. “What was that?”

“Amy’s my friend.”

That pissed her off. “You think _I’d_ have the nerve to hurt her? Who do you think I am?”

“Who do you think _I_ am?” He paused and looked her dead in the eyes. The fire in her veins showed through her eyes. “I may not be a hero or a good guy like you or Sonic. But I’m not cruel. Not to those who don’t deserve it.” He looked over at Silver. He was smiling and laughing so much. He was beautiful. He looked back at Blaze. “I won’t hurt him as long as you don’t hurt Amy,” he promised her. “I’m not the monster you seem to think I am.”

Blaze pursed her lips together and lightly stamped her foot. “Silver’s a good person,” she muttered.

“I know.”

She looked up at Shadow stubbornly. “Alright. I believe you. But know if anything happens to him, you’re dead.”

“Duly noted. And same to you.”

Amy and Silver came back at this point. “Silver, you suck!” she laughed. “You don’t have to drive the speed limit!”

“What kind of cars don’t fly anyway, huh?” he responded. “It was embarrassing!”

"You had fun then, huh?” Blaze asked, taking Amy’s hand.

“So much! Too bad we can’t stay with you guys.” She frowned. “See you later maybe, huh?”

Shadow nodded.

“Bye Silver!” Amy called out as she and Blaze moved on. Blaze and Shadow shared tight glances. It was clear neither trusted the other. And yet, maybe, they both respected each other.


	6. Chapter 6

_Omega stared at Shadow. Shadow stared back at them. Ten more minutes until he had to pick up Silver. They weren’t going to go anywhere._

_"Any unanswered questions will be asked after the date,” Omega informed him._

_Shadow folded his arms. “What if I have a question?”_

_“Likely irrelevant. Don’t bother wasting precious breath.”_

_Shadow looked at him dubiously. Nine more minutes._

At this point, it was already midnight, and Silver was likely going to suffer from a brainfreeze if he didn’t stop drinking slurpees after every third game.

Not that it wasn’t endearing.

“Would you like to go home?” Shadow asked him.

Silver looked at him surprisingly. “I…Oh. Right.” He blushed and threw his cup away. “I think I should.”

He followed Shadow soundlessly out of the arcade. The ride to Silver’s home was oddly even quieter. The only thing to remind Shadow that he wasn’t alone was the soft breathing. And Silver’s gentle arms wrapped around his waist. He felt so secure.

Shadow pulled up to Silver’s house and dismounted, Silver following him silently. He walked him up to the house, his hand twitching with urges to link with Silver’s.

“Well…,” Silver said when they reached the door. He shrugged. “Thanks for tonight. I had fun.” He played with his sleeves.

“Me too,” Shadow said.

Silver stood wordlessly for a moment before sighing. “Okay. Good night.” He took the doorknob and opened. Shadow watched him. He pushed the door open and took a step inside.

Shadow grabbed his arm.

Silver’s face turned bright red as he turned to face him. “Shadow?” he asked, his voice quiet, maybe even wistful.

That did it. Shadow pulled him to him and kissed him.


	7. Chapter 7

_“I want_ him _,” Shadow finally said. He wasn’t sure if that was the answer Omega wanted. Or expected._

_Omega beeped a bit in processing. “Explain.”_

_Shadow sighed. “It’s him. There’s something_ about _him. I admire him. I want to learn from him. I want to watch him. I don’t know why, but I want to be near him. So, if I really thought about it…what I want from a relationship with him…is him. All of him.” If Rouge could hear him now…_

_Omega finally stood up. “It is clear you have emotions regarding Silver. Emotions that, perhaps, with the right programming, I could understand. Until then, I believe you and Silver could be a proper relationship.” They patted Shadow’s shoulder. “Enjoy the night.”_

_Shadow nodded. “Thank you.”_

It was wet. The kiss was. Shadow got ahead of himself, maybe. But then it got wetter. Saltier. His eyes opened, and he realized it was Silver. He was crying. He pulled himself back. “Oh my gosh,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I should have asked for consent. I’m so sorry Silver.”

“What…?” He wiped at his eyes and laughed breathlessly a little. “Oh. No. It’s happy tears.” He started crying more. “All night, I just thought you were trying to be nice. I didn’t think…I didn’t think you actually liked me!” He sniffed. “Oh gosh…” He turned red.

Shadow smiled. “I do,” he said.

Silver sniffed again and nodded. “Can… Can you kiss me again?”

Shadow nodded and kissed him again, pushing him into his house. He kissed him hard, and he kissed him like it was air. Silver’s tears were slowing now, and he was kissing back, hard, wrapping his arms around Shadow’s neck. Shadow felt Silver’s waist and body, pulling him closer. He felt so good. He’d needed this and he didn’t even let himself know it.

“Shadow…mmmm…,” Silver muttered into the kiss. He was so needy. It drove Shadow crazy.

He had to stop. He pulled up and took a breath. “S-Silver…,” he said. He pushed Silver’s quills back. “You have no idea how much I needed this.” He took his hand. “But I do need to stop a little. Is that okay?”

Silver nodded. “It’s late. You go home.” He caressed Shadow’s face. “But can I see you again soon?”

Shadow nodded. “Tomorrow.”

Silver grinned ear to ear. “Thank you,” he whispered. He hugged Shadow tight around his neck. “Thank you,” he said again. He kissed Shadow’s shoulder before letting go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Shadow said again. He kissed Silver’s hand before leaving the house and getting back on his bike.

Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the ending is so rushed bleh. i wanted to finish it for my girlfriend's birthday. the silver to my shadow, i love you katie!  
> anyway thanks for reading <3


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